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The Robert Koch Institute is the German government's central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health.
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Health Surveys

The data collected in German Health Update (GEDA), German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS) and German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) can be used to make population-representative assessments of aspects of medical care and of the prevalence, risk factors and health consequences of selected diseases.

The aim of these repeated nationwide population-based cross-sectional surveys is to gather reliable core indicators on the population's health status and health risks.

Continuing these surveys makes it possible to assess regional differences and developments over time. Such a well-established, continuous system of health monitoring opens up the prospect of recognizing changes reliably and comparatively early.

The findings can form the basis of targeted recommendations on improving prevention, developing measures relevant to healthcare, and generating new working hypotheses on the possible causes of diseases. It also provides a framework for concomitant research based on observation, e.g. to assess health-policy measures.